Marilyn's Photos - July 19 2026 - The Odyssey is with us
When did we read The Odyssey? It is so long ago that I don't remember. And then maybe we didn't. I don't think of this as part of English Literature courses in University. More likely it was part of Classical Studies. It was somewhere in the curriculum. It is considered a cornerstone of literature because of its narrative devices and the theme of the hero's journey with the longing to return home. The Homeric epics formed the basis of the education of everyone in ancient Mediterranean society from the seventh century BCE. He is regarded as the most influential writer in history and comes in close to William Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time.
This is much discussion on the current translation that fuels the movie. It is by Emily Wilson. Her translation is "literal" - she has removed the archaic, elevated and romanticized diction of past translations. She has maintained the exact line count and strict ambic pentameter of the original Greek text. These are radical departures from traditional scholarship.
It is extraordinary that this epic work has been with us for so long. In the 3rd Century BCE the first Latin translation was done by Livius Andronicus. In the 1st century AD Dio Chrysostom claimed that the peoples of Classical India had integrated translations into their own folklore. It seems that has been the subject of translation and interpretation for as long as it has existed. And the interest grew as the centuries went by.
So doesn't it make sense that the cinematic splendour is IMAX 70 mm film would be exciting. And while this is considered one of literature's extraordinary feats, it also has an excess amount of plot activity to fulfill any action movie. It seems a great movie for our troubled times - each of us having a Ulysses sense of longing - I think for the "home" of planet Earth before climate change and population explosion started.
This is a picture of the Sainte-Chapelle chapel in Paris - a visit more than 20 years ago. I went searching for stained glass window pictures and of course, Sainte-Chapelle's are much revered. The chapel is 778 years old.
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